Oil marketers target to start lifting Premium Motor Spirit from the 125,000 barrels per day Warri Refinery by February 2025.
This comes as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria confirmed that its members have started lifting automotive gas oil (diesel) and kerosene.
Chairman, Delta State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Harry Okenini, disclosed this in his remarks on the functionality of the refinery at the weekend.
According to him, the refinery is partly operational.
“For now, only the automotive gas oil, popularly called diesel, and dual-purpose kerosene are being produced and loaded out for consumption.
“Hopefully, by February, we are expecting cooking gas, PMS, and other products to come out.
As of now, the retail unit is only loading AGO and DPK,” he added.
Similarly, the National Chairman of the Surface Tank and Kerosene Peddlers, a branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Israel Omokere, stated that the refinery was in operation.
“Hopefully the PMS will come on board. We are loading kerosene and AGO for now.”
Media Talk Africa reports that on December 30, 2024, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, announced that Warri Refinery has commenced operation.
Meanwhile, Kyari confirmed that the refinery is not 100 percent operational.
This comes as industrial sources familiar with the happenings at the Warri Refinery confirmed that it is only one out of the three units that was functional and producing diesel, gas, and kerosene.
Earlier, Media Talk Africa reports that Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN, urged the Nigerian government to sell the Warri and Kaduna refineries for efficient management.
